Supreme Court Declines To Hear DMK Plea In Karur Stampede Case

The Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to entertain a plea filed by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) regarding the Karur stampede case.

The plea sought court directions to restrain Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) leaders, including Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay and Minister Aadhav Arjuna, from making public statements that could allegedly influence witnesses in the ongoing court-monitored CBI probe into the Karur stampede case.

A Bench of Justices KV Viswanathan and Alok Aradhe advised the petitioner not to press the application. The Bench also indicated that it would dismiss the plea if the petitioner chose to pursue it.

Following the court’s remarks, senior advocate Ranjit Kumar, appearing for DMK Organising Secretary RS Bharathi, sought permission to withdraw the plea with liberty to pursue other legal remedies. The apex court dismissed the application as withdrawn.

The application sought to restrain TVK leaders from making public statements on the case until the CBI investigation concludes and also sought registration of an FIR against Minister Aadhav Arjuna.

The DMK alleged that statements made by Aadhav Arjuna, who is also an accused in the case, along with the proposed distribution of government benefits to victims’ families, could prejudice the investigation and influence material witnesses.

The plea referred to the Minister’s July 2 speech, in which he allegedly said there was ‘a score to settle’ and blamed the previous DMK government for the tragedy. It also cited reports of Chief Minister Vijay’s proposed visit to Karur to distribute benefits to victims’ families, arguing that while welfare measures were not opposed, direct interaction with material witnesses could raise concerns over the fairness of the probe.

The case relates to the 27 September 2025 Karur stampede that claimed 41 lives and injured 142 people during a TVK rally.